From now, registered doctors in the country will have to refrain from inviting ‘likes’, ‘views’, posting their ‘success stories’ in connection with treatment of patients etc on social media platforms. In a bid to streamline doctors’ conducts, the National Medical Commission (NMC), the sole body monitoring medical education in India, has for the first time issued a set of guidelines for practicing physicians on how to restrain them from social media posts. The commission wants to govern the conduct of Registered Medical Practitioners (RMP) in its set of guidelines issued on 11 August.

It felt that a section of doctors, being involved in a noble profession, are eager for self-promotion or glorifications by posting their ‘success stories’ in different platforms of social media to woo more patients for professional gain by earning more in the private practice system. The guidelines would streamline these errant doctors, it feels. “The broader principle of medical ethics should guide the use of social media by RMPs,” the highest medical regulator in the country stated. Several important guidelines like the registered doctors should avoid discussing treatment of patients and prescribing medicines to their patients using social media platforms. They should share medical advice to patients through telemedicine consultancy instead of using social media if the latter approach the former seeking treatment.

Doctors can provide information and announcements on social media but it should be authentic and verified thoroughly before sharing them on public platforms. The information should not be misleading, exploiting patients’ ignorance or lack of knowledge. They should not also post patients’ photographs or scan images of investigation reports like CT/Pet CT/ X-ray on social media. Their behaviour on social media towards their professional colleagues should be guided by general principles of medical ethics.

They should not also directly or indirectly indulge in the practice of inviting ‘likes’, ‘views’, ‘followers’ or paying money so that search algorithms can lead to names being listed in the top in software programmes as well as apps that charge fees for higher ratings or soliciting patients. The NMC move has created resentments among the medical fraternity in the city.

“Some points of the guidelines that prevent doctors from indulging in the practice of inviting ‘likes’ or ‘followers’ are positive but rest others like sharing photos of a cured patient or videos of surgical procedure in the social media look negative,” said Dr Yogiraj Roy, infection specialist associated with the SSKM Hospital. “I always share my treatment procedures on some critical cases with international specialists through my X handle seeking their advice so that my patient could be cured,” he added